Apparatus for coating metal.



H. ROBERTS. APPARATUS FOR COATING METAL. APPLICATION-FILED NOV. 2, 190a.

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H. ROBERTS.

APPARATUS FOR COATING METAL.

APPLICATION nun NOV. 2, 190a.

Patented Mar. 16, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' H. ROBERTS.

APPARATUS FOR COATING METAL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2, 1908.

Patented Mar. 16, 1909. s snnms4nnm s'.

INVENTOR WITNESSES W. 6. m

UNITED sTAr s PATENT oFFrona HENRY ROBERTS, or

PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH JOHN A. BLEIGHNER, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA APPARATUS FOR COATING- METAL.

No. 9 15,4so.

Specification of Letters I 'atent. Patented March 16, 1909.

- v Application filed November 2, 1908. Serial No. 460,670.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY ROBERTS, of Pittsburg, county of Allegheny, and State of. Pennsylvania, have invented a certain 'new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Coating Metal, of which the following is-a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification. 10" This invention relates to apparatus for coating wire fencings, network and the like with e or analogous material, said process being commonly known as .galvanizing".

Heretofore in the manufacture of fencing and similar structure, the numerous wire strands composing the same were given their rotective coating by galvanizing before. eing fed into the fence weaving machine or other wire fabric machinery. The life of a fence so manufactured has been found to be only from two to three years. This short life of the fence is attributable more or less to Q what is known as rotten joints, caused b the rusting or cerroding due to the expos tion. to the elements of the said un rotected joints and knots in the fence. In t e course of manufacture, the protective coating given the wire preparatory to the weaving opera- .tion, is caused tobreak or peel off at these joints and knots, due to the manipulation of the wire incident-to their formation by the weaving machine. This destruction of the w protective coating and consequent exposure renders the joint or knot, which is the weakest point in a fence, very susceptible to rust or corrosion This destruction of the said ,coating is augmented in cases where heavily,

coatedgwire is used, and-lightly coated wire has beenused with a view to overcoming 4'Qf this difficulty, but with little orno success;

suchlightcoating of the. wire -amwould' ermit ofthe formation of anioth erwise er ect knot or joint, was found-td-g'ive in itselfpractically no protection to'the wire. The object of this invention is to overcome the above-mentioned difficulties b causing the fence tobev galvanized afterit lies come from the weaving machine, insuring-the application of a'perfectly uniform protective coating to every portion of the fabric.

I have shown my invention in'connection with'that process of galvanizing wherein the metal to be galvanized is caused to be slowly drawn through cleaning or preparatory material, such as finely broken stone or gravel immersed in a bath of acid; then through a suitable furnace whereby it is caused to be dried before it passes to the galvanizing or coating bath, and then directly from the galvanizing bath to the wiping box whereby the surplus of. coating is removed; my invention consisting in the novel construction of g the different mechanisms for carrying out this process. 1

In th drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical lon' gitudinal sectional view of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentaryvv'ertical.sectional view showing a modified form of-wipin box;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectiona view of a portion of my improved apparatus; Fig. 4 is a'horizontal sectlonal view taken on, the plane of line 4l4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevation of one of the horizontal shafts mounted within the wiping box andshowing sprocket-wheelsfOr operating the endless wipers, also means for agitating wipin material within the box; Fig. 6 is a vertlca sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of F-ig. 5; Figs. 7 and 8 are detailviews of rollers for dra wing ,the fabric through the different mechanisms of the coating apparatus; Figs.- 9 and 10 are detail views showing modified forms of endless wiping chain or. apron;

and Figs. 11, 12, and 13 are detail views of the winding drum or take-up reel.

I will now describe my invention so that others skilled inthe art to which it appertains mayconstruct and use the same.

M The referencenumeral 2 represents the delivery reel u on which the fabric to be coated is wound. he fabric, however, may be fed directly from the weaving machine to the coating apparatus. The fabric, whichd will indicate y the reference numeral 3, may pass over a suitabletension roller*4 by means of which the fabric may he kept in a taut condition during its passagethrough-the coating ap aratus. I

he preparatory or g may consist of suitablefcleam'ng inaterial cleaning bath 5, which.

such as finely broken stone or gravel immersed in acid, is situated directly in front of the furnace 6.

The numeral 7 indicates the rollers by means of which thefabric is caused to be immersed in the cleaning bath.

Situated at the end of the cleaning bath is the box or receptacle 8 adapted to receive any cleaning material which may be carried forward out of the cleaning bath on the moving fabric. l

The purpose of the furnace 6 is to dry the gablric as it emerges from the damp cleaning The fabric is fre uently caused to be stopped in its travel t rough the coating apparatus, caused by the delay incident to the changing of the fabric at'the take-up reels, or other stoppages in the apparatus which are beyond t 1e control of the operator. In the coating of wire, it has been found that this delay or stoppage of the wire causes that portion=of the w1re inclosed by the furnace to be burned imparting a laminated or scaly surface to the wire which renders it exceedingly difficult to properly coat or galvanize, the tendency of this scaly surface being to work loose and peel off as the. wire emerges from nace.

or mineral wool.

the coating bath and passes to the wiping mechanism. This deleterious effect on the wire also reduces its tensile strength. To overcome this difficulty, I have rovided the furnace (as shown in Fig. 1) wit a casing 0r envelop 9 which may be lined with any suitable non-conductor of heat, such as asbestos This casing is provided with the wheels 10 adapted to travel on the track 11 mounted at one end of the furnace 6 on the su ports 12, and extending within the furnace or its full length as at 13. The length of the enveloporcasing 9 may correspond to or be slightly longer than the fur- Should the fabric at any time. be caused to stop in its travel through the apparatus,'injury to the fabric from overheating may be prevented by causing the casing 9-to be shoved within the furnace 6 along the track 1 1, completely inclosing and protecting that portion of the fabric from the excessive heat of the furnace.

As the'fabri'c passes from the drying furnace it is immersed in the coating or galvanizing bath. This coating bath ma be placed in a suitable receptacle, such asmdicated by the reference numeral 14, having the rollers 15 under which the fabme is threaded, and by means of which a' pro er insertion of the fabric within the coatmg ath is insured. A more gentle bend to the fabric ma coating tank y lacing one or a number of supplemental rol ers 16 at a suitablelpoi'nt outside the coating tank. Other rollers serving the same purpose throughout the dif ferent mechanisms areindicated by the nube obtained as it entersthe ric passes up through a suitable opening in the forward end of the overhanging wiping box 17, over the guide rollers 18 and 19 within the box to the feed rollers 20, and thence to the take-up reel 2]. The upper chamber or com artment 22 of this wiping box 17 is adapted to contain a suitable wiping mate rial for removing the sur lus coating metal on the fabric. Any suitafile material adapted to this purpose may be em loyed. I prefer, however, to use -minera wool or asbestos cement; the-two, if desired, may be combined. I find this to be admirable wiping material by reason of its slight affinity for or adhesion to the melted coating metal.- The wiping material is caused to perform upon the fabric as said fabric is slowly drawn through the box by means of a series of endless .chains or carriers 23, carried by the sprocket wheels 24 mounted upon the horizontal shafts 25, which may be 0 eratively connected by means of a. belt or 0 min 26 to the feed rollers 20. The carriers 23 are adapted to travel in a direction opposite to that of the moving fabric, as shown by the arrows in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, By reason of the uneven or irregular surfaces of the carriers, the wiping material 1s caused to be dragged downwardly through the central portion of the box between the traveling converging lines formed'by the endless carriers against and in a direction opposite to that of the incoming fabric. The wiping material is caused to be taken up by the traveling carriers from the bottom and along the out- -ward portion of the box to the top, where it again descends, between the moving carriers.

,This agitation constantly presents new surfaces of wiping material to the fabric as it passes through the box. In order to facilitate the agitation of the wiping material, I

provide each of the horizontal shafts 25 with the series of star wheels 27 which are interosed between the sprocket wheels 24. hese star-wheels in conjunction with the carriers 23 serve to disintegrate and agitate the Wiping material which otherwise would have a tendency to accumulate and congest at the bottom of the wi ing box. The coating metal wiped from t e fabric by the wil ing material 1s deposited at the bottom of t e box where it returns through the apertures 28 to the coating'bath.

In place of the endless chains or carriers 23, I may employ endless aprons 23' shown in Figs. 9 and 10. This apron may be constructed in any suitable manner. The a ron illustrated is constructed of the interloc ing plates 29, provided with suitable apertures 30 by means of which the apron may be operatlvely carried by the sprocket wheels 24.

While I have shownand described the endless wiping chains or carriers 23 as operating In Fig.3 I have shown the box 17 providedwith the removable lower front plate 17 its purpose being to render the box accessible at I this point to remove the fine particles of wipingmaterial which have a tendency to accumulate there.

By reason of the peculiar shape and the size of the knots or joints of the fence, obvi-, ously more coating metal will adhere to the said knots or joints as the fabric emerges from the tank than to. the body of the fabric.

In order to revent this excessive accumulation of meta from entering the wiping box to be removed, I providemeans for vibrating the wire fabric before it is caused to be passed into. the wiping box. As best shown in Figs. 3 and 4, it consists of the reciprocating arms 31 pivoted at 32 to the swinging arms 33,- and at 34 to the double-arm levers 35 which in turn may be operatively connected by means ofsuitable cam mechanism 36 to one of the horizontal shafts 25. To the lower ends of the arms. 31 are attached the rod or cross' piece 37, which is adapted to extendtransversely across the wire fabric. The .sharp reciprocating movement imparted to the,

arms 31 through the action of the cam 36, imparts a quick swinging reciprocating movement to the horizontal rod 37, which in turn sets up a vibration in thewire-fabric, causing such surplus of metal which may have accumulated at the joints or knots or any excessive accumulation of metal on the strands of the fabric, to be precipitated to the coating tank or receptacle below. In passing from the top of the wiping box 17, the fabric passes over therollers. 38; and mounted above this roller is the water spray 39, by -means' of which the wire fabric is cooled as it is drawn from the wiping box by the rollers 20. Underneath the roller 38 and the spray 39 is the tank or receptacle 40 which serves to receive the water as it passes from the roller 38. The instantaneous cooling of the fabric as it emerges from the wiping box prevents that yellow tinting or discoloring ordinarily attendant upon the gradual cooling of the coated meta after emerging from the bath.

As stated above, the fabric is caused to be drawnthrough the different mechanisms of the coating ap aratus by means of the rollers 20. These re lers 'are ournaled in the upright standard 41 and are operativel con- 'nected by means of the bevel'gears 42 o the vertical shaft 43, which in turn is operated by "the horizontal shaft 44 through the bevel. gears. 45. Referring to Figs, 7 and 8, it well be seen that the surfaces of the rollers are .provided with the intersecting grooves 46,

which are adapted to receive the strands of the wire fabric as it passes between the roll- .ers, said rollers being provided at the intersection ofthegrooves with the counter-sinks 47. which are slightly dee er than the grooves roper and in which 't is knots or joints ormed .by the intersecting wires of the fabric are. adapted to seat. These rollers as shown in Fig. 7, may be constructed of the separable sections 48, the width of each section being ada ted to correspond to the width between the ongitudinal strands of the wire fabric, the rollers being madeup sections to conform to the pattern of t e fabric to be coated.

The reels 21 for taking up the fabric as it of said so arable asses from the rollers 20, are mounted in the ramework 49 and are all operatively connected by suitable gear connections 50 to the horizontal shaft 51. j This shaft is operated by the shaft 44 through the medium of the cone pulley s stem 52 and the spur gears 53. The cone pul eysystem 52, which may be of the well known ,type, affords a differential drive for the-shaft-r51, it being evident that as the diameter of the roll of fabric increases, the reel will proportionately take up more:

fabric at every revolution, necessitating a reduction in the speed of the roll in orderto prevent the stripping of'th'e fabric from'between the feed rollers. In the cone system mentioned above, the change may be accom- .plished by causing a shifting of the speed controlling belt 5 At the rear of the rollers 20, I show the I shearing mechanism 55, which may be of any suitable construction, the-illustration being merely diagrammatic to show the relative position of said shears with respect to the eed rollers and the take-up reels.

'It will be apparent that many changes may be made in the construction of the ifferent mechanisms, of my apparatus without de arting from my invention.

Ely invention will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. By my improve apparatus I am enabledto galvanize wire fabric of any. pattern or'construction. Flt.

will also be found equally adaptable to the coating of wire where an evenuniform protective coatin is desired, as in the case of electrical .con uits and the. like; and it will i be found especially valuable for. the coating of field fencing, producing a smooth uniform protective coating over both 'oint and strand, resulting in the increase 0 the life of the fence.

Havigig thus described my inven'tionywhat .I claim and desire to secure by I ettersPat- 1. In apparatus for coating metal, an end- I less carrier arranged to present a suitable moval of the surplus coating metal.

2. In apparatus for coating metal, a coating bath, means for removing the surplus coating metal from the metal as' it emerges from the bath, consisting of traveling carriers adapted to present wiping material to the moving metal.

,3. In apparatus for coating metal, a coating bath and means for removing the surplus coating from the metal as it emerges from'the coating bath, comprising traveling chains arranged to carry wiping material against the said metal.

4. In apparatus for coating metallic fabric,.

a coating bath, and means for removing the surplus coating metal from the fabric as it emerges from thecoating bath, comprising traveling carriers arranged to convey wiping material against the said fabric in a direction opposite to that of the moving fabric.

5. In apparatus for coating metallic fabric, thecombmation with means for bringing the fabric to be coated from the preparatory or cleaning bath to the coating bath, of means for removing the surplus coating metal from the fabric, comprising traveling endless carriers adapted to continuously present a suitable wiping material to the fabric as the fabric emerges from the coatin bath, said carriers being arranged to traveI in a direction opposite to the movement of the fabric.

6. 1n apparatus for coating metallic fabric, A

the combination with means for bringing the fabric to be coated from the preparatory bath to the coating bath, of a Wiping box adapted to receive the fabric as it emerges.

from the coating bath, wiping material within the saidbox and a series of endless carriers adapted to present the said wiping material to and in a dlrection op osite to that "of the moving-fabric as said abric passes through the wiping box for the removal of the surplus coating material.

7. In apparatus'for coating metallic fabric, a coating bath, a wiping box adapted to receive the fabric as ,it emerges from the coating bath for the removal of surplus coating metal, and means for vibrating the said fabric for the removal of surplus coating metalas the fabric enters the box prepare tory to thefinal wiping operation therein.

8. In an apparatus for coating metallic .fabric', a coating bath, a wiping boxadapted to receive the fabricas it emerges from the coating bath, endless carriers arranged to travel within the said box, and ada ted to present a wiping material to the fa n'ic for the removal of surplus coating metal, and means for vibrating the said fabric for the removal of surplus coating metal as the fabric enters the box preparatory to the final wiping operation therein.

9. In apparatus for coating metallic fabric, a coating bath, a wiping box adapted to receive the fabric as it emerges from the coatin bath, and ada ted to' present a suitabfie wiping materia to the said fabric as it is caused to be passed through the said box, means for drawing the said fabric through the wiping box, means for cooling I the said fabric as it passes from. said wiping box, and means for cutting the fabric into desired lengthsas it is fed from the drawing mechanisl' a 10. In apparatus for coating metallic fabric, a coating bath, a wiping box adapted to receive the fabric as it emerges from the coating bath, endless carriers arranged within the said box and adapted to present a suitable wiping material to the said fabric as it is caused to be passed through the said box, means for drawing the said fabric through the wiping box, and means for cooling the said fabric as it passes from the said wiping box.

11. In apparatus for coating metallic fabric, a coating bath, a Wiping box, and means for drawing the said fabric from the coating bath through the wiping box, consisting of rollers having a series of interseating grooves, adapted to conform to the patterns of the fabric, and adapted to receive the strands of the fabric as the rollers are caused to be rotated, said rollers being composed of separable interchangeable sections.

12. In apparatus for coating metallic fabric, a coating bath, a wiping box, and means for drawing the said fabric from the coating bath through the wiping box, consisting of rollers having a series of intersecting grooves, adapted to conform to the patterns of the fabric, and adapted to receive the strands of the fabric as the rollers are caused to be rotated.

13. In apparatus for coating metal, means for subjecting the metal to the action of acid or abrasive material, means for heating and drying the metal after emerging from said acid or abrasive material, and means for shielding the metal to prevent overheating the same.

14. In apparatus for coating metal, means for subjecting the metal to the action of acid or abrasive material, means for heating and drying the metal after'en'ierging from said acid or abrasive material, and means adapted to be used in conjunction with said heating and drying means, when desired to prevent overheating the metal.

15. In apparatus for coating metal, means forsubjecting the metal to the action f acid or abrasive material, a chamber for heating and drying the metal after emerging from said acid or abrasive material, and a movable shield adapted to be moved into operative relation Withthe heating and drying means when desired to prevent over- I chamberwhen desired toprevent overheating heatin the. metal. the metal. 10

16. I n apparatus for coating metal, means In testimony whereof, I have herennto set for subjecting the metal to the action of acid my hand. I or abrasive material, a chamber for heating HENRY ROBERTS. and drying the metal after emerging from Witnesses:

said acid or abrasive material, andamovable N. A. BARTH, shield adapted to be moved within said M. ARTHUR KELLER. 

